Product Categories Covered By Canadian Geographical Indications Regime May Grow

On May 28, 2026, the Government of Canada launched a public engagement (the Engagement) on how to strengthen and modernize Canada's geographical indications (GI) regime under the Trademarks Act. The Engagement primarily considers the expansion of eligible product categories.

A GI protects a sign or name that identifies a product as originating from a specific location, where its quality, reputation, or other characteristics are linked to that geographical place of origin.  At present, Canada's GI protection extends only to wines, spirits, and certain agricultural products and foods. 

The Engagement’s related paper (the Paper) notes that GIs are not widely used by Canadian producers, as less than 30 of the 870 registered GIs relate to Canadian goods. Canadian examples include "Canadian Whisky" for spirits and "Ontario Icewine" for wine.

A central question of the Engagement is whether GI protection should be expanded to include, for example, arts, crafts, industrial products or services. This may include beadwork, weaving, textiles, ceramics, wood and stone carvings, and shipbuilding linked to specific regions, and the Paper provides a sample list of countries with established GI protections for some of these products.  The Paper also notes that broader protection could support economic growth, trade diversification, and stronger market differentiation for Canadian producers.

The Engagement places significant emphasis on Indigenous participation, examining whether and how GIs could help protect and promote Indigenous knowledge, cultural expressions, and the use of Indigenous place names.  The Paper states that a review of the GI regime is part of a broader effort to align Canada’s IP frameworks with reconciliation objectives, as part of the Government’s mandate and commitment under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

The deadline for participating in the Engagement is August 27, 2026, and further information on how to participate can be found here.

Summary By: Michelle Noonan